1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to social networking, and more particularly to social network group access, interaction, communication, control, and related services and communications.
2. Related Art
The popularity and growth of social network sites and services has increased dramatically over the last few years. Present social network sites include Facebook, Google+, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube, LinkedIn, Flicker, Jaiku, MYUBO, Bebo and the like. Such social networking (SNET) sites are typically web-based and organized around user profiles and/or collections of content accessible by members of the network. Membership in such social networks is comprised of individuals, or groupings of individuals, who are generally represented by profile pages and permitted to interact as determined by the social networking service.
In many popular social networks, especially profile-focused social networks, activity centers on web pages or social spaces that enable members to view profiles, communicate and share activities, interests, opinions, status updates, audio/video content, etc., across networks of contacts. Social networking services might also allow members to track certain activities of other members of the social network, collaborate, locate and connect with existing friends, former acquaintances and colleagues, and establish new connections with other members.
Individual members typically connect to social networking services through existing web-based platforms via a computing device, tablet or smartphone. Members often share a common bond, social status, or geographic or cultural connection with their respective contacts. Smartphone and games-based mobile social networking services are examples of rapidly developing areas.
In so-called “cloud” computing, computing tasks are performed on remote computers/servers which are typically accessed via Internet connections. One benefit of cloud computing is that may reduce the relative processing and storage capabilities required by user devices (e.g., a cloud computer may load a webpage accessed by a tablet device and communicate only required information back to the tablet). Accordingly, recent years have witnessed an ever-growing amount of content and application software being migrated from local or on-site storage to cloud-based data storage and management. Such software functionality/services and content are typically available on-demand via (virtualized) network infrastructures.
In so-called “cloud” computing, computing tasks are performed on remote computers/servers which are typically accessed via Internet connections. One benefit of cloud computing is that may reduce the relative processing and storage capabilities required by user devices (e.g., a cloud computer may load a webpage accessed by a tablet device and communicate only required information back to the tablet). Accordingly, recent years have witnessed an ever-growing amount of content and application software being migrated from local or on-site storage to cloud-based data storage and management. Such software functionality/services and content are typically available on-demand via (virtualized) network infrastructures.
Often, a visitor to a location, network, or the like is granted access to a location, business network, and possibly to a social networking environment, cloud applications, or cloud media content. Such grants are often virtually unlimited in duration and scope. In addition, a social group has a variety of mechanisms for establishing contact with another member, member device, or member device service, including, for example, telephone numbers, IP or other routing addresses, VoIP/video call handles, twitter handles, other SNET handles, blogs, web page addresses, email addresses, etc. When a change to the above occurs, it may be difficult to convey the information to all other members and member devices.